{"id":146215,"date":"2024-11-18T15:01:17","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T14:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gouni.edu.ng\/?p=146215"},"modified":"2024-11-18T15:01:20","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T14:01:20","slug":"12th-convocation-vice-chancellors-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/12th-convocation-vice-chancellors-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"12th Convocation Vice Chancellor’s Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Narrative of Our Evolution to a Formidable Innovative and Entrepreneurial University in Nigeria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

Protocol<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holy God, we praise thy name; <\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord of all, we bow before thee! <\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All on earth thy scepter own, <\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in heaven above adore thee. <\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infinite thy vast domain, <\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everlasting is thy reign.<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With my soul wrapped in the incandescence of this song, I welcome each of you to this 12th convocation of Godfrey Okoye University. I welcome particularly our fresh graduates as well as their parents, siblings and friends who have travelled from far and near places to be present here today. I am profoundly grateful to all of you for extricating yourselves from a thicket of duties in an endlessly and increasingly complicated human space to attend this ceremony. God bless you all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is with a deep sense of gratitude to God and to each of you that I address this assembly today. It is important to mention at the beginning of this address that twenty six (26) students made a First Class out of 546 students who took the final examinations in various programmes of our university. My dear fresh graduates, you are joining over four thousand graduates of Godfrey Okoye University who are spread in all continents, in various countries, institutions, businesses, industries, companies and offices of the world. You have become part of the globally emerging human family called the GO Family. What a privilege to be a member of such a colourful and successful family!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our journey to this 12th Convocation has been an incredibly\u00a0beautiful narrative\u00a0of our evolution in innovativeness and entrepreneurship. During the period of our pregnancy with this university, we articulated our philosophy, mission and vision vividly. Every document and architectural design was made to agree with our philosophy, mission and vision, including the song of our collective soul:\u00a0\u00a0our famous GO University Anthem. In addition, we raised the well-known\u00a0Godfrey Okoye University question “where is the evidence?\u201d in the spirit of our philosophy, mission and vision and to guide our epistemic journey to innovativeness\u00a0and entrepreneurship. The burning desire for innovativeness has made us do things that placed us as the first in twenty three areas of university activities,\u00a0as our\u00a0scorecard\u00a0shows. Since I presented our scorecard\u00a0in our 8th & 9th convocation two years ago, I will go straight to unveil the narrative of our evolution\u00a0to a strong, innovative and entrepreneurial university, spreading its tentacles in the following thematic fields:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. DNA Learning Centre Africa (Forensics and Aquaponics)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2009 as we were taking our first steps as a toddler in university education, we were fired by such an ambition that can only be revealed\u00a0by an infant prodigy. Although still in infancy, we were\u00a0incredibly self-conscious, guided by the light of our philosophy, mission and vision. We were conscious of doing things differently, innovatively,\u00a0and in an entrepreneurial fashion. The contact with Prof. George Ude, a great biologist at Bowie State University (USA), gave us the opportunity to fire\u00a0the first shot in the biological\u00a0sciences. Biological sciences focused research on DNA sequencing and barcoding, discovering rare plants and animals\u00a0that had never entered the world DNA data bank. In collaboration with the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory our young scholars were taught\u00a0how to do research in biological sciences. They were taught innovativeness\u00a0in research and application of research results in STEM businesses. Our DNA\u00a0Learning Centre became the centre for the training of\u00a0Nigerian and African budding scientists, winning a lot of grants and prizes. Today this innovative approach in biological sciences has drawn the attention of the Enugu State Government under our great Governor Peter Mbah. The Enugu State Government, having noted the progress\u00a0and uniqueness of our DNA Learning Centre, the first of its kind in Africa, is collaborating with our university\u00a0for the expansion of the facilities of the DNA Learning Centre\u00a0for paternity tests and forensic analyses. By this time next year, this main campus of our university will have become the centre of all kinds of paternity tests in the Southeast of Nigeria. By this time next year, our main campus will have become ready to supply all data that can help security officers fish out criminals in Enugu State\u00a0through forensic analyses of crime scenes. By this time next year, our DNA Leaning Centre\u00a0will have been expanded to become\u00a0one of the biggest\u00a0science cities in Nigeria, offering all sorts of research services to our state, Nigeria and Africa. In addition, our DNA Learning Center (DNALC) has developed the first AI compliant website and a DNALC Nigeria mobile App for any science or research training institution in Nigeria. \u00a0Thus, as in the X app, GO University has the DNALC App for everything DNA.\u00a0\u00a0Also our DNA Learning Center (DNALC) has carried out the following researches: (a) \u2018DNA Barcoding of the Distribution, Diversity and Phylogenetic Relationship of Ants\u2019; (b) \u2018Unweaving the Microbial Diversity of Freshwater Bodies in Enugu through Metagenomic Analysis\u2019, (c) \u2018Comparative Analysis of Nutritional, Medicinal and Genetic Diversity of Mushroom Species from Enugu and Ebonyi States, and (d) \u2018Comparative Analysis of Aquaponics Effluent on the Growth Performance of Select Vegetables in Hydroponic Systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.GO University College of Medicine\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Godfrey Okoye University College of Medicine was conceived with a clear\u00a0innovative and entrepreneurial mindset. We wanted a College that would produce brilliant, innovative, entrepreneurial, spiritual and disciplined medical doctors. We designed our activities to promote our vision. We also found the embodiment of our vision in the top medical professors of our College of Medicine like Prof. Dr. Frank Akpuaka, Prof. Dr. Amechi Katchy, Prof. Dr. Cajethan Nwadinigwe and a host of erudite scholars in the medical field. Since hard work and discipline are the foundation for realizing\u00a0our vision, we put a lot of emphasis on working assiduously and\u00a0around the clock. As part of our innovativeness in medical training, we have exposed our students to trainings in our DNA Learning Centre so that they will not only be good medical doctors but also great scientists. Our students of Medicine also participate in the GO University\u00a0programme called Student Training for Entrepreneurship Promotion (STEP). The result of our innovative and entrepreneurial approach to medical training is that our students came first in a competition\u00a0organized for medical students of universities in the Southeast in July this year. Another reason for joy is that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria has approved our College of Medicine for MBSS (Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery) examinations. The implication is that in this academic year the first set of our medical students will write their second MBSS examinations. If we continue like this, God willing, our medical students will graduate after six years of studies.\u00a0\u00a0Another good news is that the National Universities\u00a0Commission has added another feather to the cap of our College of Medicine with the approval of the Department of Nursing Science headed by Prof. Chika Ugochukwu. Furthermore, we are expanding our teaching hospital at Transekulu with a deep sense of creativity and innovation so that our medical students can continue their clinical training there with the same spirit of innovativeness and entrepreneurship that they have drunk deeply in the College. As Alexander Pope writes: \u201cDrink deep, or taste\u00a0not the Pierian Spring\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. STEP Programme and Incubation Centre\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

STEP stands for Student Training for Entrepreneurship Promotion, and it originated from a collaboration between Makerere University Business School in Uganda and Leuphana University in Germany. Over time, STEP has established partnerships with various universities and vocational training institutes in South Korea, South Africa, and East Africa. Notably, its association with Godfrey Okoye University marks a pioneering initiative in West Africa and Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The establishment of STEP has been an incredibly enriching\u00a0experience\u00a0for both staff and students. The success of Godfrey Okoye University STEP under our Directorate of Entrepreneurship headed by our scholar\u00a0Christopher Uwakwe has attracted a lot of attention from our German partners, especially Leuphana University. The Directorate has added an innovative project, the incubation hub, to promote our STEP programme. Finally, the STEP-S TTT International Workshop, which took place in our university in September, and with great exhibition of professionalism by the Master Trainers, was a very enriching experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. Institute of Caregiving Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Institute of Caregiving Education (ICE)\u00a0is an unambiguous\u00a0expression of our consciousness\u00a0that community service is one of the three key roles of a university. As we have realized through careful observation and research how unprofessional and inexperienced caregivers in Nigerian homes are, we have mounted a programme of caregiving to fill this gap in Nigeria. The Institute oversees the training of those who desire to work in homes in Nigeria and overseas. In addition to the core curriculum of caregiving, we have\u00a0brought entrepreneurial training into the programme as well as the opportunity for industrial experience\u00a0in our Godfrey Okoye University Teaching Hospital. The result of this innovative approach is the high rate of employability among all participants in the programme. A year ago one of those who finished in the Institute\u00a0and moved over to Canada received a certificate of commendation from the Canadian government. We congratulate the Director, Associate Prof. Dr. Blessing Ude, for making this\u00a0GO Uni certificate programme a huge success.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Our School of Postgraduate Studies\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our School of Postgraduate Studies has evolved from complete in person mode of lectures to fully digitalized hybrid mode of lecture and seminar delivery. The result is that our PG School now attracts many students from Germany, Austria and other foreign countries\u00a0who are attracted to our programmes because of\u00a0hybridity in lecture delivery and expertise of our professors. We also insist\u00a0that our PG students publish\u00a0part of their projects in good journals as evidence of the solidity and relevance of their research. Our PG School now has a total of forty three (43) programmes including a master\u2019s\u00a0degree\u00a0programme in Law. Part of our innovation in our PG School is\u00a0the inclusion of\u00a0communication in the\u00a0English language\u00a0to improve the writing, reading and speaking skills of our PG students as well as\u00a0a programme in entrepreneurship.\u00a0\u00a0We congratulate all those who have rounded off their programmes in our PG School\u00a0and are part of this convocation, especially our first PhD product, Dr. Ogechukwu Ngwoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Go University Computer Village<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To make our computer science programme a huge success we have built a computer village with smart lecture halls for our computer science department. It is our hope that our computer village will inspire our young students in digital skills. It is now compulsory for all students of our Computer Science Department\u00a0\u00a0to get professional certifications from global certifying bodies like google, Microsoft, Meta, Udemy, Coursara, etc. before they\u00a0\u00a0graduate in Computer Science. Many\u00a0of our students have indeed already got\u00a0international certifications in different areas\u00a0of computing. The Department of Computer Science is also collaborating with a\u00a0company to host an annual hackathon with the aim of harnessing the best skills among our students. Besides, the Department is collaborating with an Austrian IT firm in the area of green AI. Also Ogbe Somtochukwu, emerging as the best overall student in a hackathon programme organized by the Directorate of Competitions, has developed a facial recognition attendance system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Directorate of Competitions\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The senate of our university has approved the establishment of the Directorate of Competitions. The Directorate under Mrs. Uchanta Chukwu explores available university competitions, helps students to register for them and prepares them for competitions. Since the establishment of the Directorate our university has done incredibly well in national and international competitions. Our teams (Team Storm and Team Emerald) performed very well in the DebateCoolit Competition Sponsored by the Enugu State Government this year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Best Participation by a School\/Institution (Godfrey Okoye University).
    1. Most Creative & Interesting Debate Team (Team Emerald).<\/li><\/ol>
      1. Best Single Debate Performance (Aguigwo Gerald Somtochukwu from our College of Medicine).<\/li><\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. Two of our debaters, Ebenyi Chinecherem (Faculty of Law) and Adibo Tiffany Chiemelie (Department of International Relations), are among Enugu’s top 15 debaters and will represent the state in national debates.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          The establishment of the Directorate is an innovative idea that has helped us achieve all these. We congratulate Mrs. Uchanta Chukwu and her team of staff on all the achievements recorded by the Directorate.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          8. Professional Examinations\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Godfrey Okoye University has continued to emphasize professional programmes and examinations to enhance professional and entrepreneurial skills of students. All our programmes involve one form of industrial training experience or the other. Industrial Training (IT) is not limited to natural science students in Godfrey Okoye University but embraces all our programmes. This partly explains the high rate of employability of GO graduates. Through the professional\u00a0trainings\u00a0and exposure to their future professional colleagues some of them secure employment before graduation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          9. General Ability Test\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          The senate of Godfrey Okoye University approved General Ability Test for all final year students of Godfrey Okoye University. This is the first of its kind in any Nigerian university. The idea is to help students prepare for various\u00a0interviews for scholarships, visa applications or\u00a0admissions for further studies. Such interviews are usually based on quantitative and verbal reasoning as well as ability to think outside the box. We in Godfrey Okoye University prepare our students for competitiveness and success in life. The result is that our graduates are passing interviews of all categories and getting good jobs as well as full scholarships for further studies. For instance, Emmanuel Mbahaotu (our graduate) emerged the overall best graduating student in his University in Russia and got research funding worth 300 thousand dollars this year for his PhD in Medicine, specializing in Cardiology.\u00a0 Also our graduate Scholastica Ogbodo got a full scholarship and graduate assistantship this year to study Physics in the United States of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          10.GO University Prize on Innovativeness and Entrepreneurship\u00a0\u00a0for Staff and Students\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          The senate of our university has also approved various prizes for innovativeness and entrepreneurship for both staff and students. This is to ensure that our students and staff remain innovative by getting recognition for their work and effort. The Directorate of Entrepreneurship, the Directorate of Competitions and the Computer Science Department are responsible for selecting the candidates\u00a0for the award of these prestigious prizes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          11. Strategic Collaboration and Exchange\u00a0\u00a0Programmes\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          We have continued our programme of strategic collaboration and exchange of staff and students. In the month of September I renewed our collaboration with Johann Kepler University in Austria and also discussed areas of collaboration with the University of Arts (Austria). Through our membership of\u00a0Africa-Uninet (based in Austria), we are collaborating with eighty universities outside Nigeria. It involves collaboration in research as well as exchange of staff and students. This explains why we always have foreign students and staff in our university. This has also helped students to get exposure in their programmes, which in turn makes\u00a0studying abroad (or in other universities within Nigeria) easy for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          12. Grants and Awards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          The Directorate of Entrepreneurship (DOE) in partnership with Leuphana University, Mount Kenya University, and the University of Venda won a 4-year grant worth 90 million Naira for implementing sustainable entrepreneurship in the global south. It has won another 12 thousand Euro for the implementation of the STEP and\u00a0STEP-S project. Under this project, student teachers from our Faculty of Education and the Institute of Ecumenical Education have been mobilized with EUR 5,000 (eight million Naira) as seed fund for their STEP-S micro businesses. An additional EUR 4,000 (seven million Naira) has been earmarked as payment for faculty members who have been inducted as STEP-S Trainers. The STEP-S project is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service. \u00a0In addition, a\u00a0staff of our university, Rev. Fr. Dr. Somadina Ibe-Ojiludu, was selected for the prestigious 2024 Global Scholars Academy of Harvard Law School Institute of Global Law and Policy, and was listed in the EU and AU-anchored Roster of African Transitional Justice Experts. Also, Globethics, a Geneva-based international non-governmental organization which possesses a consultative status in United Nations\u2019 ECOSOC, celebrated a staff of the university for his 50 years as a publisher, Professor Christoph Stueckelberger, a Swiss, who is a professor of Ethics in our\u00a0Faculty of Management and Social Sciences. Besides, we have won two grants from Africa-UniNet, each worth twenty five thousand Euros in collaboration with Enugu State University of Science and Technology (led by Prof. Martin Anikwe) and University of Graz (Austria) respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          13. Programmes and Accreditations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          We have a total of eighty-three programmes (40 undergraduate programmes and 43 postgraduate programmes as well as three certificate programmes, Sandwich and JUPEB.\u00a0 The PG programmes include the newly approved programmes LL.M. (Law), PGD & M.Sc. (Sociology), Ph.D. (Management) and Ph.D. (Curriculum Studies). All existing programmes are fully accredited by the National Universities Commission. We have also maintained our position in all official ranking platforms as one of the best ten private universities in Nigeria and one of the best 200 universities in Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          14. To Our Fresh Graduates\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          To you my dear fresh graduates I write this letter as my final word as you leave this university. I would like to address you as Grad 2024<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Dear Grad 2024<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n

          I write this letter today as my parting gift to you. On 16 March 2024, I wrote a similar letter to your younger academic siblings on the occasion of their matriculation. Today I write to you with the consciousness that you have a better view and understanding of university education and do not need sweeteners given to academic fledglings for the bitter food of tearing experiences in a university. You have continuously been fed with all sorts of transforming experiences, without being transmogrified. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          You have had the experience of waking up early, doing your chores and leaving the hostels to avoid the frightening faces of frowning or scolding student affairs officers. You have gone through the hustle and bustle of lectures, workshops, lab experiments, and so on. You have probably had enough pouts and sighs as the loud GO bell chimes, inviting you to the common midday prayer. You have surely got used to queues in order to hand in your attendance after the prayers. You have had the experience of a rumbling tummy announcing hunger, forcing you to hunt for some culinary delights. You have had the experience of hurrying back to your hostel to prepare for night prayers and studies. Surely, the experience of hastening back to your hostel to avoid being locked out is not alien to you. Nor is the voice of the seemingly omnipresent Father-Vice Chancellor calling you on phone when you sneak out of the hostel, and asking: where are you? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          You may have also had the experience of a noisy, unruly or unfriendly roommate. You may have had a pulsating heart as you enter the examination hall amidst unsmiling white-cassocked or Roman-collared external invigilators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Of course I know some of you have had the thrill of listening to excellent lectures by some of your seasoned lecturers\u00a0and professors. You have surely enjoyed such moments of happy celebrations\u00a0during the Unity Week, Faculty Week or Christmas celebrations. You certainly have enjoyed the serenity of your university which is\u00a0insulated from the rather irritating hiccups of our geopolitical space.\u00a0 You have certainly enjoyed those special relationships and friendships you have\u00a0formed here. You have widened\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0your social space with a good number of friends and colleagues. Some of your friends have become like siblings\u00a0to you. Some <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          of you have formed good relationships that may lead to lifelong friendship or even marriage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I have no doubt you were immersed in all sorts of experiences in our STEP programmes and other certificate programmes offered by the university. I am convinced that you have learned a lot from\u00a0the STEP programme and now know how to create jobs and become successful employers of labour or even translate your ideas into financially beneficial ventures.\u00a0 Grad 2024, I see in you the leader who is crazily ambitious like your Vice Chancellor. Having been shown the real ingredients of success, you will certainly not settle for anything less than a successful life. As I wrote to MAT 2024 during the 15th Matriculation, so also I write\u00a0to you. Be big dreamers<\/strong>.\u00a0Big dreamers become big achievers. I have always dreamed big and this is the source of the energy that drives me\u00a0as you must have realized. Dream the seemingly impossible. Have a dream that one day you will be one of the best presidents Nigeria has ever produced. Have a dream that one day you will be one of the best governors in Nigeria. Have a dream that one day you will be one of the best National Assembly members in Nigeria. Have a dream that one day you will be known as one of the\u00a0most intelligent persons in this country. Have a dream that one day you will be one of the best computer scientists, data analysts, software developers, computer engineers in the world. Have a dream that one day you will be the best TV or radio presenter ever.\u00a0\u00a0Have a dream that one day you will be\u00a0one of the most innovative professors in the world. Have a dream that one day you will be one of the\u00a0best scientists, mathematicians, medical doctors, engineers,\u00a0accountants, economists, political scientists, psychologists, sociologists, teachers, philosophers, linguists, historians, music composers, literary scholars, architects, diplomats, security experts, lawyers or judges in the world. Have\u00a0a dream that one day you will be one of the most successful businessmen or businesswomen in the world. Have a dream that one day you will be one of the best in whatever profession or good thing you choose. Have a dream that one day the world will recognize you as a person with brain and brawn. Have a dream that one day you will\u00a0prove to humans that it is possible to be morally sound and successful in life. Have a dream that if God calls you to a clerical state or religious life, you will be known as a saintly person. Have a dream that one day you will be a Nobel Prize winner. Have <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          a dream that one day the whole world will hear your voice. Have a dream today. Have a dream tomorrow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Finally, as I end this letter, I urge you not to forget that your identity as a GO is glued to this God\u2019s Own University. It is an identity of spirituality, hard work, deep sense and understanding of cultural and religious differences, and sense of dialogue and understanding of the connectedness of human epistemic experiences expressed in what we call courses or fields of studies. Please do not forget the everlasting and evergreen GO Uni question: Where is the evidence? Also let these unforgettable words of Gandhi continue to ring like a bell in yours ears: “Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle.\u201c (Mahatma Gandhi, 2 Oct 1869-1948). I ask God to bless you with a successful, healthy and happy life through Christ our Lord!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Yours sincerely<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Father-Vice Chancellor\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

          15. To GO Alumni\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          I thank all of you for staying connected with your alma mater. Some of\u00a0you have sent\u00a0your siblings to Godfrey Okoye University. (There are some families that have\u00a0all their children in Godfrey Okoye University.)We thank you all for your financial support and for making your university well\u00a0known within\u00a0and outside Nigeria. In order to encourage you, we have decided to continue to honour in our hall of fame\u00a0those of you who are outstanding in performance\u00a0and financial support to your alma mater. We congratulate our graduate\u00a0Mr. Gosife Eze, the National President\u00a0of Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria, who has been appointed by the Vatican as a\u00a0member of the International Youth Advisory Body (IYAB) of the Decastery for the\u00a0Laity, Family and Life. This is a confirmation of the quality of the training of our students based on our three core values of dialogue, hard work and spirituality. In addition, this\u00a0year we inaugurated the Alumni Association of all our foreign students. These students who were in our university\u00a0for exchange programmes are supporting the university from their various countries\u00a0and have continued to make tremendous contributions\u00a0to the progress of our university. We thank Ms. Meggy Kantert, our Foreign Liaison Officer,\u00a0for coordinating their activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          16. To our honorary doctorate awardees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          I congratulate you on the award of honorary doctorate degrees\u00a0of our Catholic university. We have chosen you after a rigorous process of selection through our committees and after serious enquires about your person and character. Please remember that your award is coming from a Catholic university. Do not tarnish the image of this\u00a0university. I ask God to bless you as you explore ways of supporting our university and thus become our\u00a0great ambassadors. God bless you!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          17. To Parents and Guardians\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          I express my profound gratitude to each of you for entrusting us with the task of educating your child or ward. You have made tremendous sacrifices to pay the fees of your child or ward. At a time when the Nigerian narrative has been dominated by a plot twist of political intrigues and hypocrisy, hyperinflation and cancerous economic conditions of incalculable dimensions as well as existential angst, supporting your child or ward to come to this point of graduation is a feat that must be commended by all, especially by this university. We thank you and pray that God may keep you alive to reap the fruit of your labour and sweat. As you travel back to your different destinations may the angels of the Lord Jesus Christ go before you and behind you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          18. Gratitude to All<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Finally, let me thank all of you for attending this convocation,\u00a0\u00a0especially those who helped in making this ceremony\u00a0\u00a0a huge success: the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, the Auxiliary Bishop of our Diocese, the Governor of Enugu State\u00a0\u00a0and all Government Officials, Local Government Chairmen, Curia members, Chancellor and Archbishop of Abuja,\u00a0\u00a0Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees and Chairman and members of the Governing\u00a0\u00a0Council, the Senate and the Academic Board, principal officers, convocation lecturer and great benefactor of our university\u00a0\u00a0Mr. Everest Nnaji (Odengene), Austrian Ambassador to Nigeria (Mr. Thomas Schlesinger represented\u00a0\u00a0by the General konsul of the Austrian Embassy, Mr. Christian Redl, accompanied by our Prof. Dr Chigozie Nnebedum (who drives our relationship with the Austrian Embassy and our collaboration with universities in Austria), the Foreign Liaison Officer Ms. Meggy Kantert and friends of\u00a0\u00a0our university from Europe and America (especially Dr. Dave Miklos), all marathon runners, press men and women, security officers, members of the ceremonies committee, all members of staff of our university and GO University Group of Institutions, members of Godfrey Okoye University Alumni Association, members of Parents Forum, GO Choir (led by our Music Director Eric Mbaeze), fresh graduates, Student Council of Honour, students of GO and IEcE, children and pupils of Godfrey Okoye University Creche, Nursery and Primary Schools, students <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          of  Godfrey Okoye University Secondary School and all our guests and friends. Thank you all! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Your Excellencies, Your Lordships, erudite scholars, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, sweet is the beginning and sweet will be the end of this occasion. The plot of our narrative continues to twist and grow with tentacles in all imaginable directions, making our narrative an incredibly fascinating narrative of hard work and God\u2019s tremendous grace. Thank you and God bless you all! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Rev. Fr. Prof. Dr.\u00a0\u00a0Christian Anieke<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Vice Chancellor\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          The Narrative of Our Evolution to a Formidable Innovative and Entrepreneurial University in Nigeria Protocol Holy God, we praise thy name;  Lord of all, we bow before thee!  All on earth thy scepter own,  All in heaven above adore thee.  Infinite thy vast domain,  Everlasting is thy reign. With my soul wrapped in the incandescence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":146216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,2724,2767,552],"tags":[553,2652,972,2661],"class_list":["post-146215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic","category-event","category-graduation","category-news","tag-convocation","tag-dna-learning-centre","tag-gouni","tag-gouni-vc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}